


Butterflies & Cookies

by UnderTheGoldenLights (Samunderthelights)



Category: One Direction (Band), Real Person Fiction
Genre: 1D Christmas Fest, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Don't copy to another site, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mentions of Harry Potter, Single Parent Harry Styles, Single Parent Louis Tomlinson, larry stylinson - Freeform, mentions of Doctor Who
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:00:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27554248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samunderthelights/pseuds/UnderTheGoldenLights
Summary: Harry and Louis are both single dads, who meet at the toy store while out buying Christmas presents for their daughters.“Maybe you should give me your number?”
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 30
Kudos: 143
Collections: 1D Christmas Fest 2020





	Butterflies & Cookies

**Author's Note:**

> Hi,  
> This is my first time writing something for 1D Christmas Fest, and I had a great time writing this piece of pure fluff.  
> Thank you for organising this fest, and thank you for the lovely, fluffy prompt! ❤️  
> Happy Holidays, and enjoy!! 🎄  
> Xx

Harry knows he must have been at the toy store for much longer than he had planned, because the same song is playing as when he had come in. He figured it would take him five, maybe ten minutes to pick out toys for his daughter for Christmas. He didn’t think he’d still be here by the time the record finished playing and started over again.

He is still staring at the wall of dolls, by now not even sure which one he had come in for, when he notices a shadow in the corner of his eyes.

“Oh, sorry,” he mumbles, stepping to the side to let the stranger pass by. But the young man flashes a smile, and he looks up at the dolls.

The smile quickly leaves his face though, and Harry recognises the look on his face all too well.

“Don’t know which one to go for?”

“Not a clue,” the stranger chuckles uncomfortably. “My little girl loves every single one of these movies, but I haven’t got a clue which one is her favourite. I’m pretty sure it changes every day.”

“Don’t even get me started. Last year my daughter was obsessed with this boyband, so I got her all five dolls. By the time Christmas came, she didn’t like them anymore,” Harry laughs. “She never even took them out of the box.”

“Sounds about right.” Louis smiles, before looking back at the overwhelming amount of dolls in front of them.

Harry looks down, and only now does he notice the bags in the young man’s hands, covered to the brim with presents.

“How many kids do you have?”

“Just the one.” The stranger smiles to himself, before looking at Harry. “I know… it’s too much, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t say anything.” Harry chuckles. “It’s none of my business.”

“It’s just me and her nowadays, so…” the young man shrugs, and Harry flashes an understanding smile. “I can’t say no to her.”

“I’m the same,” Harry admits. “I even went out last year to get her a different present when she didn’t like the dolls, so…” He shrugs. “You’ve got to spoil them while you can, right?”

The young man flashes another smile, before setting down the bags, and reaching out a hand.

“I’m Louis, by the way.”

“Harry.”

“How old is your daughter?” Louis asks, as Harry shakes his hand. “Sorry, does that sound… I mean…”

“It’s fine.” Harry chuckles. “She’s nine.”

“Right… yeah, Emilia just turned ten,” Louis says, only now realising he’s still holding onto Harry’s hand. “This is probably going to sound a little weird, but we just moved here, so it’d be nice for her to make new friends, you know?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Do you think it’d be nice for them to get together sometime?” Louis suggests, and Harry can’t help but smile at how nervous Louis seems.

“Sure. Ruby would love that.”

“Great.”

“Maybe you should give me your number?” Harry suggests, his smile growing bigger as Louis fumbles to take his phone out of the pocket of his coat, nearly dropping it.

“Shit… I’m always forgetting my own number,” he mumbles, before reading it from his phone, as Harry enters it into his own phone.

“I’ll text you. It’ll be great for them,” Harry says, and Louis nods, but then he sighs, and he looks back at the dolls.

“I still don’t know which one to get her.”

“Get her the Harry Potter one,” Harry suggests, pointing at the dolls on the other side of the wall, far away from all the princesses. “It looks like she’s into that,” he says, nudging his head into the direction of the bags full of presents.

“She’s obsessed.”

“Ruby too.” Harry rolls his eyes. “I know it’s my fault, because I made her watch them when she was… god, I can’t even remember how old she was. But now it’s our tradition to watch all of them for Christmas.”

“Yeah… Emilia is going to love her,” Louis laughs. “The amount of times she has made me watch ‘ _Prisoner of Azkaban_ ’…”

“That’s the best one!”

“Not when you have to watch it every week,” Louis laughs, as they make their way over to the Harry Potter dolls. “I can’t believe I didn’t know about these.”

“Ruby loves them. If Emilia is anything like her, she is going to love the Luna one,” Harry says, and he flashes a reassuring smile. “I’ve got to go now. I’m pretty sure I’ve been here since they opened up this morning, and so far I’ve only got this,” he says, showing Louis the Doctor Who boardgame in his hand. “But you gave me an idea there with the Lego, so…”

“Thanks, for pointing these out,” Louis quickly says. “And ehm…”

“I’ll text you, about getting the girls together.” Harry smiles, before giving a wave. “Good luck.”

“Yeah, you too.”

* * *

Harry hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Louis, about how nice, how easy it had been to talk to him.

He had been just eighteen when Ruby was born, and most of his friends were excited when she was first born. But then they had gotten bored, and they had gone back to their own lives. They had gone out and gotten drunk, and because Harry hadn’t been able to do that kind of thing anymore, they had simply stopped texting and coming around.

It had hurt him, losing his friends like that, but Ruby was more important to him. She had been his number one priority from the moment his girlfriend had told him she was pregnant. So if he had had to give up partying, drinking, even his friends, then that’s what he was going to do. Without having to think twice about it.

Having someone who is just like him, a single dad with a young daughter, to talk to, it made for a nice change. So he had almost given Louis a call the same day they met, but he had changed his mind just before the call had gone through. Because this man had only given him his number because he wanted their daughters to get together for a playdate. Surely he didn’t want to be bothered by some stranger who was simply feeling lonely.

But it’s been days, and Harry knows he’ll have to send him a text sooner or later.

_Hiya. It’s Harry, from the toy store. Just texting you to…_ No, that’s not it.

_Hey, Harry here. We met a few days ago, and discussed…_ No.

_Hi Louis. Not sure if you remember, but we met…_ God, no.

_Harry from the toy store here. Want to meet up sometime so the girls can hang out?_

Harry regrets it as soon as he has sent the message, but he doesn’t get a chance to think about it too much, because within seconds his phone starts ringing.

“Louis?”

“I was waiting for your text,” Louis admits, and it makes Harry’s heart skip a beat. Because had he enjoyed talking to him just as much?

He quickly shakes the thought, because of course that’s not why Louis was waiting for him to contact him. He wanted their daughters to get together and spend the afternoon probably talking about Harry Potter, arguing about which book is the best, what character they like the most.

“I was just wondering if you still want Ruby and Emilia to…”

“Yes!” Louis interrupts him. “I have time this weekend, or… is that too soon? I’m sure you must have other plans.”

“Not at all. This weekend is fine. We can do it at my place, unless…”

“Your place is fine,” Louis quickly says. “We only just moved in, so the flat is still a mess.”

“So I uhm… I’ll text you the details?” Harry mumbles, not sure where to go from here, never having done anything like this before. Especially not with a stranger. A very handsome stranger.

Harry can feel himself blushing at the thought, and he almost considers hanging up and forgetting about the whole thing. But when he hears Louis’ voice again, he can’t help but smile, knowing fully well that he isn’t going to walk away for this. He isn’t going to take this chance away from his daughter.

“Great. I can’t wait for the girls to meet each other. I bet you they’ll be watching Harry Potter all afternoon.”

“I’ll make sure we’ve got enough popcorn.”

* * *

“What are…,” Harry begins, but he can’t even finish his sentence before his daughter jumps into his arms. “This girl loves Harry Potter too, but I’m not sure she’ll be dressed up as…”

“Hermione.”

“Don’t worry, I knew that,” Harry laughs. “You’ll behave, won’t you?”

“Yes, dad.” Ruby rolls her eyes. “What time are they getting here?”

“Around…” Before Harry can answer, there’s a knock on the door.

Ruby opens it, and Harry’s heart skips a beat when he sees Louis again, looking even more handsome now that he isn’t so stressed out.

Standing next to him is a girl who looks just like him, and her cheeks are flushed with excitement.

“You’re a Hufflepuff?” Ruby asks, before even having said hello, as she points at Emilia’s jumper. “Oh my god. I’m a Ravenclaw!”

Ruby leads Emilia into the house, and within seconds they have disappeared upstairs to her room, talking excitedly.

“Sorry about that,” Louis chuckles. “She’s just excited.”

“Ruby too. Come on in. What can I get you to drink? Coffee, tea… Rubes made some kind of caramel concoction…”

“I think I’ll stick with tea.”

* * *

“We should go home,” Louis says, when it’s starting to get dark outside. “I didn’t realise it was so late already.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” Harry chuckles, and Louis flashes a smile, ready to get up and call for his daughter to come down. “You could stay for dinner if you like. I told Rubes she could have pizza tonight.”

“We really shouldn’t…”

“Stay,” Harry says, “I haven’t heard Ruby laugh so much since… I can’t even remember.”

“Emilia too,” Louis admits. “She’s been quiet, ever since her mum left us a few years ago. That’s when she got so… _obsessed_ with Harry Potter. She’d just sit there, watching those movies over and over again…”

Harry flashes a sympathetic smile, because he can see how much it hurts Louis, knowing that his daughter was hurting.

“This’ll be good for both of them,” he says, and Louis nods. “So, are you willing to go up there to ask what pizza they want, or…”

“If I’m not back in five minutes…”

“I’ll come looking for you,” Harry laughs, as he watches Louis get up to go up to Ruby’s room.

Something in him had been wondering whether it would be awkward, having to spend the afternoon with a virtual stranger. What would they talk about? What if they had nothing in common?

But the conversation had flowed, and Harry is sure that if Louis hadn’t noticed how late it had gotten, they could have gone on to talk for hours and hours. About everything. About nothing at all.

* * *

Ruby hadn’t stopped talking about Emilia, and she hadn’t given up until Harry had set up another playdate for them, just a week after they had first gotten together.

They had gone to the shops this morning, and Ruby had grabbed so much candy, that for the first time in a long time, Harry had had to say no to her. She had quickly put some of the candy back, but when she had found the packet to make your own Doctor Who Christmas Cookies, she hadn’t even asked if she could have it. She had grabbed it, and she had hidden it, before quickly sneaking it into their cart when Harry wasn’t looking.

Harry knows he should have told her off for it, but when he had seen how excited she had been about them, he couldn’t find it in himself to say something about it.

“Does Emilia like Doctor Who too?” Harry asks, checking his phone again to see if there are any more texts from Louis. They had been texting all morning about how excited the girls were to see each other again, but Harry can’t deny that he is excited about seeing Louis again too.

“She loves Doctor Who, but she thinks Matt Smith was the best Doctor. Everyone knows that David Tennant was better.” Ruby rolls her eyes. “But she does like Jack, so…”

Harry can’t help but smile to himself, these names not meaning much to him, even though he must have heard them thousands of times before.

“How about you make those cookies with her, then?”

“We were going to watch…”

“If I hear his name one more time…,” Harry laughs, his daughter flashing a sheepish grin.

When his phone buzzes, he quickly picks it up to check it.

_Sorry we’re running a little late. Emilia wanted to go by the shops to pick up some things first. We’ll be there in ten._

“They’re not coming?” Ruby asks, not even trying to hide her disappointment.

“They’re just running late,” Harry says, flashing a reassuring smile, before wrapping his arms around his daughter and giving her a big hug. “I’m proud of you.”

“What for?” Ruby chuckles uncomfortably. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You don’t have to do anything for me to be proud of you, Rubes. I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

“Dad…”

“Rubes.” Harry says, mocking Ruby’s embarrassed tone. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

* * *

“Sorry we’re late, Em wanted to buy…”

“Doctor Who cookies!” Emilia grins, holding up the box in her hands. “I was going to get the Daleks, but…”

“We have the Daleks!” Ruby squeals, “Oh my god! Dad, did you know?”

“I had no idea,” Harry laughs, not failing to notice the look of love on Louis’ face as he looks down at his daughter. “How about we have a drink first, and then we…”

The girls have already run off, talking about the upcoming Doctor Who Christmas episode, so Harry lets Louis in, and they follow the girls into the living room.

“I hope it’s okay, about the cookies,” Louis says, keeping his voice down. “Em’s been asking me for them all week, so I said she could get them, but…”

“Ruby got them this morning, she was going to ask Emilia if she wanted to make them this afternoon,” Harry laughs. “They really are like two peas in a pod, aren’t they?”

“She hasn’t stopped talking about Ruby,” Louis admits, “I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, that’s for sure.”

“Fine by me,” Harry says, only after the words have left his mouth realising how it sounds. But when he opens his mouth to apologise, he notices the blush on the other man’s face. “So… tea?”

* * *

The two men were going to leave the girls to it, because they’re old enough to figure out the recipe for the cookies themselves, but after they heard the laughing and squealing, they decided to check on how things were going. When they had found the kitchen covered in half a bag of flour, they decided to help them out. Mostly to keep an eye on things and make sure the kitchen would still be there by the end of the day.

The girls were so lost in conversation, that they had hardly noticed their fathers’ presence. So Harry and Louis had mostly stuck to themselves, and they had had another cup of tea as they had watched the girls try their best to make the dough and to shape them into Daleks and Tardises.

They had quickly gotten bored though, so they had gone up to Ruby’s room, leaving the men to finish up.

“I knew this would happen.” Harry shrugs. “We tried to make gingerbread figures last year… we would’ve been better off buying them. She got bored after five minutes, I had to make them, and they tasted of nothing.”

“Kids, right?” Louis grins, before grabbing a ball of dough, and shaping it into something that could be a dog. Or perhaps a reindeer. It could also be Santa.

Harry follows, and before they know it, most of the dough has been used up, except for a small piece still left in the bowl. So Harry grabs it, shapes it into a little heart, and he hands it over to Louis.

“What’s…”

“That’s for you.” Harry grins sheepishly, feeling giddy from seeing how happy his daughter is, from finally having someone to hang out with. From feeling those butterflies in his stomach, every time he looks at Louis.

“Thanks,” Louis chuckles, his cheeks slowly but surely going redder.

Harry quickly turns to put the cookies into the oven, unable to face Louis after what he has just done. Because this is so not like him. He usually waits for people to ask him out, and even then, he’ll tell them thanks but no thanks, because Ruby is his priority. Dating hasn’t been on his mind for years, and he can’t even remember the last time he flirted.

“I’ve been meaning to ask… and please tell me if it’s none of my business,” Louis begins, but he waits until Harry looks back at him before he continues. “What happened to Ruby’s mum?”

“Oh… it’s a long story.” Harry shrugs, checking the hallway to make sure Ruby and Emilia are still upstairs. “She wasn’t ready to have a baby, so…” He sighs. “I told her I would take care of the baby, so she stayed until she gave birth, and then she moved away with her family.”

Louis stares at him, a pained look on his face, and for a moment Harry wonders if he has said too much. But then Louis sighs, shaking his head.

“You’ve been raising her by yourself since she was a baby? How old were you when she was born?”

“Eighteen. My family helped out a lot, but yeah, it’s always been just me and Rubes.”

“I can’t imagine taking care of a baby by yourself, especially at that age,” Louis says. “I was a few years older than you were, and I was with my girlfriend, and still…”

“I had no other choice.” Harry shrugs, a small smile forming on Louis’ lips. “And I think we did alright, even if it’s just the two of us.”

“I think you did more than alright,” Louis says, and this time it’s Harry whose cheeks turn a dark shade of red. He is a little embarrassed at his own reaction, so he quickly turns to make another cup of tea.

“What about Emilia’s mum?”

“She decided family life wasn’t for her,” Louis explains. “She decided she wanted to get the most out of life while she still had her youth. Her words, not mine.”

“So she left?”

“So she left. Changed her name, her number… we haven’t heard from her since.”

“How is Emilia coping?”

“It’s getting better. Especially now that she has found someone who is obsessed with wizards, dragons… Daleks… She got teased at her old school for liking that kind of stuff, so it’s good for her to have a friend who’s…”

“Oh, believe me, Ruby wouldn’t let that happen. She’ll stick up for her if that happens here,” Harry quickly says. “She may be small, but the mouth on her…”

“She takes after her dad?” Louis suggests. The corner of Harry’s mouth curls up into a sheepish grin, because he knows that Louis is right. “I’m glad we met each other that day,” Louis says, before quickly adding. “Because the girls love each other.”

“Of course, because of the girls,” Harry chuckles, still not sure where his forwardness is coming from. And why can’t he stop himself?

There’s a tension growing in the room, and when their eyes meet, Harry can’t help but wonder if Louis is thinking the exact same thing. If he is also thinking about how nice all of this has been, how much it feels like it is meant to be. If he is thinking about making a move, about going in for a kiss.

But then, what if he is misreading all of this? What if Louis is just being friendly, for their daughters’ sake?

The moment seems to last too long, seems to grow too uncomfortable, too silent. But when they hear the girls stomping down the stairs, they quickly look away from each other.

“Are the cookies ready?”

“No,” Harry laughs. “They’ve only just gone in. And you’re not getting any. Me and Louis did all the work here!”

“No way!” Ruby laughs. “Me and Emilia made the Daleks and Tardises. You’re not getting those.”

“You’ll still need to decorate them. Or are you going to eat them like this?” Louis asks, his daughter rolling her eyes at him, but flashing a big, innocent grin when he catches her doing it. “I saw that.”

“Saw what?” Emilia grins. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Sure you didn’t,” Louis laughs, sharing a knowing look with Harry. “Let’s go get that icing ready, yeah?”

* * *

Just as Harry is about to go to bed that night, he gets a text from Louis. He knows how much the girls had enjoyed the afternoon, because Ruby hadn’t stopped talking about it. So he is expecting it to be a text to try and set up another playdate. But when he opens it, and he sees what Louis has sent him, he feels his heart skip a beat.

_I probably shouldn’t say this, but I had a really nice time. I know we’ve been meeting up for the girls, but I just wanted to say that I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you._

Harry keeps staring down at the phone is his hands, not sure what to send back, and by the time he has thought of something, he gets another text.

_I hope I haven’t upset you._

Harry quickly texts back, as the fluttering in his stomach gets stronger by the second.

_Not at all. It’s been really nice. I’m glad we’ve met. X_

* * *

Harry and Ruby were supposed to have gone out to buy a Christmas tree weeks ago, but something had come up every weekend, so now with only two weeks to go, they had finally found the time to get one. And although it is a miserable-looking thing, it still fills up half the living room.

“What do you want to…”

“We’re waiting for Emilia and her dad!”

“I know,” Harry laughs. “Calm down, Rubes. I was only going to ask, do you want to use your nan’s decorations this year, or…”

“Can we use the other ones?”

“You’re not too old for them?”

“As if!” Ruby rolls her eyes. “And you are the one who bought them. I didn’t pick all the… the butterflies, and… rainbows and hearts and stuff.”

Harry still remembers buying their Christmas decorations when Ruby was just a baby. He wanted her to have everything she could ever wish for, and in his mind she was going to end up with the most beautiful-looking princess-style tree. It ended up looking a mess, the decorations garish as anything. Still Ruby had chosen to put those exact decorations up almost every year, even though her grandma had bought them some beautiful, classic things that would look much better.

“Dad?” Ruby asks, making Harry snap out of his thoughts.

“Yes?”

“I told Em that we’re having a Harry Potter marathon for Christmas…”

“And?”

“I told her I’d ask you if she can join us,” Ruby mumbles. “I know it’s Christmas and everything, but she just really wants to watch all the movies again too. And when I told we were watching them, she…”

“Rubes,” Harry interrupts her rambling. “No, okay? You can watch the movies another time with her. We’ll ask if she can spend a whole weekend here, we’ll get popcorn, pizza…”

“But dad!”

“No, Ruby. I’m sure her and Louis already have plans for Christmas.”

Ruby opens her mouth, but she decides against it, and instead storms off, disappointed and hurt.

* * *

Ruby had still been in a bad mood by the time Emilia and Louis had shown up, but when she and Emilia had started decorating the tree, she had quickly starting talking and laughing again.

Harry and Louis had taken to decorating the rest of the living room, and every time Louis had taken one of the garish, sparkly decorations out of the box, Harry could tell that he wanted to say something, but he was keeping quiet to be polite.

“Spit it out,” he laughs, when Louis stares down at the pink, sparkling butterfly in his hands.

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Louis chuckles, but when Harry nudges him in the arm, he can’t help but laugh. “Did Ruby pick these out?”

“I did,” Harry admits. “In my defence, she was a baby, so…”

“So this…,” Louis says, looking around the room, “is all you?”

“Well…”

“Good to know,” Louis laughs, and Harry nudges him in the arm again. “I uhm…”

“Dad, look!” Emilia yells, and both men turn around, only to find her holding up a Harry Potter bauble, which Ruby had gotten from her grandma last year.

“Wow!” Louis smiles, but when his daughter goes back to decorating the tree, he doesn’t finish whatever he was going to say before she interrupted.

“You were going to say?” Harry asks, but he can almost see the cogs working in Louis’ mind.

“Just… it doesn’t matter. It wasn’t important.”

* * *

“Dad?”

“Mhm,” Harry mumbles, trying to focus on the movie they’re watching.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“Something serious,” Ruby says, and it makes Harry sit up and face her. “About Emilia’s dad… she said that… well, she thinks that… you know…”

“What is it?” Harry asks, flashing a reassuring smile. “You can ask me anything, Rubes.”

“Did you know that her dad is gay?”

“Oh…”

“I think,” Ruby quickly says, her cheeks flushing pink. “Her dad kind of… he kind of told her?”

“That’s okay, isn’t it?” Harry shrugs, trying his best to ignore how fast his heart is beating right now.

“But she also said that… well… are you and her dad… you know…?”

“Are we what?” Harry chuckles, but he can feel his face growing warmer. “Are you asking me if I’m gay too?”

“I don’t know.” Ruby shrugs, looking uncomfortable, but then she nods.

“I do like boys.” Harry nods, before quickly adding, “but I also like girls.”

“Oh… so you and Emilia’s dad…”

“We’re friends,” Harry says, and he grabs his daughter’s hand and holds it tight. “If I start dating someone, and that’s a big if, I’ll tell you, Rubes.”

Ruby sighs, and she stares down at their hands, a pensive look on her face.

“Tell me, what are you thinking right now?”

“That I’d be kind of okay with you and Em’s dad… being boyfriends, I guess?” Ruby shrugs, and Harry can’t help but smile. “Would that make her my sister?”

“Kind of,” Harry chuckles. “But me and Louis…”

“Just friends, I know,” Ruby quickly says. “But if you _were_ going to date someone…”

“Rubes!”

“Fine. I’m just saying…”

* * *

“This is ridiculous,” Louis sighs, as he stares down at the stacks of presents spread out all around him and Harry. “There’s just two of them.”

The girls are up in Ruby’s room, while the two men are down in the living room, wrapping presents together. They figured it would take them as long as it would take for the girls to watch a movie, but when they see just how much they have bought, most of it the same, it quickly becomes clear that it’s going to take much longer than that.

“Let’s hope they still like Harry Potter next week, huh?” Harry laughs, but he looks stressed out, and he can’t laugh that away. “We better get started, I guess…”

They sit down, and while the conversation had flowed every time they had spent time together before, this time there’s an uncomfortable tension between them. And every time Harry opens his mouth to say something, he decides against it, feeling nervous, his insides feeling all wrangled up.

“So uhm…”

“Yes?” Harry quickly asks, grateful that the silence has finally been broken.

“What are your plans for Christmas?”

“Oh, me and Rubes are just going to have a Harry Potter marathon. There’ll be popcorn, chocolate… she’s going to try and make Butterbeer…”

“Right…”

“What about you and Emilia? Are you spending it with family?”

“No, she uhm… she asked me if we uhm…”

“How about you two spend it here. With us?” Harry suggests, hoping he hasn’t misread where this conversation was going. “The girls would love that.”

“So would I,” Louis admits, flashing a nervous smile. “All of this, it feels like…”

“Like what?” Harry asks, when Louis keeps quiet, shaking his head in embarrassment. “Tell me.”

“Like we’re part of a family again,” Louis admits. “Sorry, that sounds…”

Before Louis has even gotten a chance to explain, Harry has kissed him. And although Louis is more than a little surprised, he kisses him back, his hand gently, nervously sliding onto Harry’s knee.

“Well…,” Harry chuckles. “I uhm…”

“I’ve been waiting for you to do that.”

“Really?”

“I’m sorry, I’m no good at all this. I was with Emilia’s mum, and then she left, and then… I haven’t been with anyone since. I don’t usually do this.”

“Me neither,” Harry laughs nervously. “So should we… I don’t know… do you want to… I don’t know how to do this.”

“Let’s go out after Christmas,” Louis suggests. “And maybe we shouldn’t tell the girls about it… in case it doesn’t work out?”

“Of course. Sure! I still want them to be able to be friends, without it being weird,” Harry quickly says, feeling like a nervous teenager. But when Louis buries his face in his hands, laughing, he realises he is just as nervous.

“We really should get this stuff wrapped up,” Louis laughs, giddy with nerves and excitement.

* * *

Harry had been looking forward to Christmas all week, and with Ruby talking about it non-stop, it had been all that he had been able to think about. That, and his kiss with Louis of course.

Every time he had let his mind wander back to that moment, the butterflies had started fluttering in his stomach again. He had almost given Louis a call, just to tell him he couldn’t wait to see him again. But he was trying to play it cool, at least somewhat, so while he had started ending his texts with a kissing emoji, he had not called him up.

He had gone out to buy him a present though, but only at the store had he realised just how little he actually knew about Louis. So in the end he had gone for a book of poetry, hoping Louis wouldn’t think it was the worst present he had ever received. After all, it’s the thought that counts, right?

But now that the girls are halfway through their presents, and Ruby picks up the one for Louis, Harry can’t deny that he is feeling a little nervous. After all, just a few weeks ago they hadn’t even met, and here they are, celebrating Christmas as though they are a family.

“This is for you,” Ruby says, as she hands the present over to Louis. “It’s from my dad.”

“Oh, really?” Louis asks, “I didn’t realise we were buying each other anything. I didn’t…”

“That’s fine,” Harry quickly says, flashing a nervous smile. “It’s just a little something.”

Louis carefully opens the present, and when he realises what it is, his cheeks flush red.

“How did you know?”

“Know…”

“This is my favourite writer,” Louis chuckles. “I’ve been meaning to go out and buy this, but… wow, thanks, Harry. I feel really bad for not getting you anything now…”

“Ugh, just kiss him already.” Emilia rolls her eyes, and they all look at her. “What?”

“Emilia!”

“We were all thinking it.” Emilia shrugs, and Harry can’t help but laugh at the look on her and Ruby’s face, at the embarrassed look on Louis’ face.

“I am so sorry about her,” Louis mumbles, but Harry ignores his embarrassment, and he grabs his hand. The girls both get a big, excited grin on their face, and within seconds, they are whispering loudly to each other about how they knew, when they knew. Arguing about who knew first.

“I thought we weren’t going to tell them?” Louis whispers, but Harry shrugs, a big, genuine smile on his face. “What if it doesn’t work out?”

“I’ve got a feeling it will.”

* * *

Before they had started watching the fourth Harry Potter movie, there had been a discussion about whether to watch it now or tomorrow. It was almost midnight already, and although the girls were still on a sugar rush from all the chocolate and Butterbeer, Harry knew that it was getting too late for them.

The girls refused to give in though, so they had started watching the movie. But now that they are halfway in, the girls are on the couch, fast asleep.

Louis gets up to put a blanket over them, before joining Harry on the other couch again, and even though they have both already seen these movies dozens of times, they simply watch on in silence.

Harry is still feeling giddy and nervous, in a good way, and when he slowly but surely feels Louis closing the distance between them, his heart begins to beat faster.

“This has been the best Christmas we have had in years,” he whispers, before wrapping an arm around Louis’ shoulder, and pulling him against his chest, not even caring about trying to hold back anymore.

Louis curls up underneath his arm, and Harry kisses the top of his head, before looking at Ruby, who is asleep on the couch with Emilia. Just seeing how happy his daughter has been these last weeks, how happy they all have been, it fills him with the same kind of love and happiness he had felt when Ruby was born. He had been so happy then, so hopeful about the future. He hadn’t even noticed that somewhere along the line he had lost that feeling.

But just being here, like this, it makes him feel like all his Christmas dreams have come true.

**Author's Note:**

> **To read the other fabulous fics in the fest, please[click here!](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/1dchristmasfest2020)**
> 
> The prompt that I worked with for this story was :  
>  **22.** _Louis and Harry are both single dads and go shopping for Christmas presents for their daughters. They’re are both slightly overstrained by all the stuff in the toy shop. This is where they both meet for the first time and immediately get along with each other. They meet up a few times before christmas, their daughters love each other and they finally decide to spend the holidays together. Through decorating the houses, baking cookies and wrapping presents they fell in love._


End file.
